Savage Hunt

Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: Helping a friend

Ryan

Islammed Aaron down onto the mat, pinning him into place with a snarl. Agitation coursed through me as I looked at his golden eyes. I didn’t know what was wrong with me, but I needed to get myself under control. I was upset and anxious.

It felt like I needed to shift and run, but I had already done that this morning and the feeling was only growing stronger as the day went on. I leaned back, sitting on my ass as I looked at the brick walls of the training room. The mat was soft beneath me, its flat, dark blue surface giving a little, letting me sink into the thin cushions. Planting my feet onto the ground, I braced my forearms on my knees, gasping for air.

Aaron propped himself up onto his elbow, his tattooed skin was slick with sweat. “You okay, bro?”

“Yeah, sorry. I think I am, I’m just- there are a lot of feelings that I’m not used to.” I said.

“Do you think it’s the bond?” Aaron asked, rolling onto his stomach. He planted his hands on to the ground and pushed up onto his knees. Kneeling beside me. “Charity has been… Worried and I know it’s her and not me. Could that be what you are feeling?”

“I think so. It was worry and a bit of anxiety, but I figured when I got to talk to her later today I could maybe take her out just the two of us to talk about everything that’s happened.” I dragged my fingers through the curly mess of my hair. During training, it had come loose and I hadn’t bothered to pull it back up. Now it was damp with sweat, hanging around my shoulders and sticking to my skin. “I just, I don’t know how to fix it if she’s running away. My wolf wants me to hunt her with the others but that’s not what

she needs. I saw her face this morning. What Tillie needs is time.”

“So give it to her. It’s not like she can ignore the mating bond with you guys.” Aaron’ said it like it was the easiest thing in the world. But his mate was a shifter too, not a human.

Humans were strange creatures, most of them didn’t believe that we were real and I could guess that everything was so new and different for Tillie. The things that she was feeling for us. The fact that she had slept with all of us last night, to say she might be overwhelmed, was an understatement.

She was only human. Jason and I had talked about it on our way back to the pack house. Talking with him had relaxed me some, pushing the worries away that had been nipping at my thoughts all morning.

I had thought that after brunch, Tillie might call me, I had hoped that she would. But as I turned my head to look at the digital clock that hung on the training room’s wall. I knew that she wasn’t going to. At least, not anytime soon.

I should have done a better job of taking care of her. Maybe then she wouldn’t have felt the need to be away from us?

“I know, it’s just-” I paused, trying to think about how to explain what I was feeling to my friend and pack mate. “I’ve spent my entire life looking for my mate and when I find her, it’s Tillie. And she’s perfect and amazing, and she is all the things that I have ever wanted. All the things that I’ve ever craved. The way she looks at me, that blush of hers. Damn, it’s just, it’s hard to not be around her. I want to touch her all the time.”

“I get that, Ryan. I really do.” He said, leaning back to rest his bottom on his heels. His hands were flat on the tops of his thighs and his back was straight. I doubted that Aaron realized what he was doing, but he was in the perfect pose of submission to me.

“Are you okay?” I asked, lifting an eyebrow as I crossed my legs and turned so that I was facing him. Straightening my shoulders so that I could focus my attention on him, we didn’t have a sexual

relationship but sometimes that wasn’t what being a dom was about. Sometimes it was just being strong for another person, giving them the space to lean on you when they needed to.

“I’m overwhelmed. I thought that training would help after our run this morning, but it hasn’t.” Aaron said, his hazel eyes fixed on me. “I’m trying not to worry you about it, but damn. It’s hard. Yesterday I didn’t think when we went to play at the club that I would find my mate. That everything would change so fast.”

“Were you not ready to find her, Aaron?” I asked, already knowing what he was going to say.

“It’s not that. You know I wanted to find my mate, we all do. It’s just, that if I could live inside of her, I would. Being away from her hurts and I know that my love, my want. It can be like a riptide that will pull Charity under and I don’t want her to lose herself because of me. I don’t want her to drown in me.” His hazel eyes moved to my hands and I could feel for him. I was having the same feelings for Tillie.

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Chapter Nine: Helping a friend

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She was only human and I kept trying to remind myself of that and the others. I didn’t want us to be the tide that pulled her down and took away the things in her that we would fall in love with.

“Aaron, you have to trust Charity enough to tell you when it’s too much. You coming here and giving her space to breathe… I bet that means a lot to her.” I said, reaching out and giving his wrist a pat. “She seems like she’ll make a good mate for you.”

Aaron’s lips curved into a smile and he looked at me. “Thanks, Ry.”

The door to the training room creaked open and I looked over, watching Travis come into the room. His eyes flicked to Aaron and the way that my bandmate was sitting beside me, down to the hand that was resting on his wrist. His lips tightened together before his face went smooth. The bond that I shared with him flared with jealousy before going cold.

*Ryan.” His tone was cold and I knew that I was in trouble with my brat.

Well, damn, it looked like I was in for a long afternoon.